LSU making a late surge for WR Al’vonte Woodard

BEAVERTON, Ore. — In two weeks, Al’vonte Woodard will announce his commitment from LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss.

But are the Tigers legitimately a contender for the top-100 prospect?

Woodard, who is scheduled to go public with his decision on July 14, has been in touch with LSU wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph more frequently since naming the Tigers to his final grouping of teams. Joseph is spearheading LSU’s late push for the 4-star Houston wide receiver and applying some late pressure ahead of his final decision.

“As the decision comes closer, a lot of coaches have been hitting me up even more,” Woodard told SEC Country at Nike’s “The Opening” Finals in Oregon. “LSU has really been pushing hard largely, really hard, but they have all been coming at me equally as hard lately.”

The Tigers hold commitments from a pair of in-state wide receivers in their 2018 recruiting class: 4-star Kenan Jones and 3-star Jaray Jenkins. There are also spots reserved for priority targets Terrace Marshall Jr., who will make a decision on Dec. 22, and Ja’Marr Chase, who will announce either LSU or TCU on Monday, July 3 at “The Opening” Finals.

LSU aims to reel in at least four and upward of five wide receivers in this recruiting class, which explains why Joseph has been making a late push to bring Woodard on board.

“Our relationship is going pretty well because [Joseph] is telling me where he needs me — as an outside wide receiver at the X or the Y [positions],” Woodard explained. “It’s a big factor because coming into college, I have a chance as a true freshman to come in and step onto the field and maybe even start [at LSU].”

For context purposes, Woodard has yet to visit LSU’s campus since receiving an offer on March 10.

That certainly has to be taken into consideration when factoring in that the Under Armour All-American has made a handful of visits to Texas. The Longhorns hold 100-percent the Crystal Ball picks for Woodard with two weeks to go before his decision.

When asked whether seeing LSU’s campus on a visit played a role in his decision-making process, the nation’s No. 14-ranked wide receiver had this to say:

“If I do commit there, I’ll take a visit,” he said.

Woodard also maintained that of his five finalists, he has no order at the moment. He is scheduled to return to Austin on the weekend following his announcement.

Despite not visiting Baton Rouge, LSU was able to garner Woodard’s attention with its offensive performance at the tail end of the 2016 season under then-interim coach Ed Orgeron.

“Just the way they finished the season last year … with the coaching change and throwing the ball more,” Woodard said. “I saw the offense changing in such a short time frame.”